


Force of Nature

by orphan_account



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Eventual Fluff, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-08
Updated: 2015-02-20
Packaged: 2018-02-28 15:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2737940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Evelyn Trevelyan, a noble warrior from Ostwick, is the only one who can seal the rifts that appeared throughout Thedas after the explosion at the conclave. However, the rifts have to share Evelyn's thoughts with a certain Seeker...</p><p>If you're into fearless warrior ladies in their 30s getting flustered over awkward flirting, then this right here is your fic!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Breach

_Those who oppose thee_   
_Shall know the wrath of heaven._   
_Field and forest shall burn,_   
_The seas shall rise and devour them,_   
_The wind shall tear their nations_   
_From the face of the earth,_   
_Lightning shall rain down from the sky,_   
_They shall cry out to their false gods,_   
_And find silence._

_-Andraste 7:19_

 

 

"Open the gate! We are heading into the valley."

Evelyn was the first one to step through the gate. The snow on the walk-way up the hill was tinted an ominous shade of green, the exact same shade as the mark on her left hand both caused by the Breach in the sky. Evelyn hadn’t been able to even glance at her hand without feeling nauseous after the Seeker accompanying her had explained to her what had happened during the few days she had spent out cold.

"Every time the breach expands, your mark spreads… And it is killing you" she had been told right after she had collapsed on the ground from the pain the mark had caused. The mere thought made her shiver and even more nauseated than she already was.

Evelyn still couldn’t believe how in the Maker’s name she could possibly be the only one who had survived the explosion at the conclave. She had no memory of what had happened. She had been at the conclave, sent there by her parents, and the next thing she knew she had woken up hand cuffed. Cassandra, the Seeker who was with her now had wasted no time in interrogating Evelyn with a woman called Leliana, who had an accent that was no doubt Orlesian. The more she tried to force herself to remember the more her head ached.

Evelyn was glad she and Cassandra were not in Haven anymore. The walk through the town had been dreadful. She had felt everyone’s eyes burn on her, had heard how people muttered for the Maker to take her. “They have decided your guilt. They need it.” Cassandra had said when she had noticed Evelyn’s confused look. The citizens of Haven were accusing her of the explosion, of the death of Divine Justinia and thousands of mages and templars. In the end it wasn’t surprising, after all she _was_ the only one who had survived. Now, all Evelyn had to do in order to assure the citizens that she was innocent was to seal the Breach. How wonderful.

Cassandra was walking right behind Evelyn while keeping her eyes trained on the back of her head. Every time Evelyn had glanced at her Cassandra’s eyebrow’s had furrowed slightly before she had nodded stiffly in the direction they were headed. Cassandra was clearly tense; her hand hadn’t left the hilt of her sword after she had walked through the gate of Haven. Evelyn couldn’t really blame her; a giant hole in the sky pouring out demons would make anyone uneasy.

The mark on her hand hurt. It throbbed like a really bad headache after a long night out, with every pulse of pain the mark let out a green glow that Evelyn could see in the corner of her eye. She tried desperately to not pay any attention to it by walking a little faster. The sooner they were done with sealing the Breach the better.

_'If it doesn't kill me.'_ she thought, _'Maybe the mark will even disappear, since it’s clearly connected to the Breach._ ’ Just as her hand started to let her breathe for a moment with only a slight soreness, the pain flared up. Evelyn cried out, clenched her eyes shut with a scowl and grasped at her left wrist avoiding directly touching the mark in fear of making the pain worse. The pain had kicked all oxygen out of her system, there was really no other way to put it. Evelyn had gotten bad injuries in her warrior training but even the memory of those couldn't offer a good sense of what she felt. It felt like her nerve endings were set on fire, like all the blood in her arm was suddenly replaced with broken glass.

She must have blacked out for a moment, when the pain eased enough for her to breathe again she opened her eyes slightly just to realize that she was on the ground on her knees still grasping her wrist. She heard footsteps and felt strong hands get a hold of her and haul her up from the ground. The hands lingered on her upper arm and the small of her back making sure she could stand on her own. Evelyn turned to look at the owner of those hands. It did not surprise her to find Cassandra there, but it surprised her how much her face had softened. From the short time she had spent with the Seeker it seemed that Cassandra only knew how to look intimidating. Even through Evelyn’s blurry, tear-filled vision the warmth that spilled from Cassandra’s eyes was almost overwhelming. She had so much faith in her it should have made Evelyn nervous at least but it just encouraged her to continue walking after the two women nodded once to each other to make sure everything was alright.

She would get through this. She had to.


	2. Haven

_Everything was straining her senses. Too much noise, too much light, too much everything. Her legs were glued to the ground, her vision filled with green. She then heard someone yell at her; a woman, with a thick Nevarran accent._

_"Now! Close the rift! Do it!!"_

 

Evelyn woke up with a start. The light coming from between the curtains made it clear that it was past noon already. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and took in her surroundings. Clearly she wasn’t at home in Ostwick, the room she had slept in looked nothing like her parents’ residence. It was far smaller than her own room back back home; there was only the bed she had slept in, a nightstand and few shelves with various books and potions on them. The walls were made of wood unlike most of the nobles’ houses back in Ostwick. Evelyn furrowed her brows. If she wasn’t at home, then where- then it hit her. The Temple of the Sacred Ashes, the conclave, the explosion, Haven, the Breach.

The sudden realization of where she was and what had happened shook off the last traces of her slumber. Evelyn groaned as she sat up slowly, her entire body was sore and every move she made sent a pulse of dulled pain straight to the front of her head.

 _'The headache I'll end up with will be glorious…_ ' she thought as she brought up her left hand to see how bad the Mark had gotten. It had stopped growing, thank the Maker. It didn't hurt as much as it had back when she had gone up the mountain to seal the Breach. In fact it looked like any other scar she had, a clean cut with slightly ragged edges. The only difference being the Mark's faint green glow.

"Oh!" A loud bang followed the soft exclamation and Evelyn’s eyes instantly shot up to seek out the source of the sound. In the doorway there was a young elven girl, no older than 15 summers. She had dropped a small box of elfroot and few potions on the floor, Evelyn hadn’t even heard her come through the door.

"I- I am so sorry, my lady. I didn’t know you were awake! I swear!" the poor girl looked like a frightened halla just standing there wide eyed.

"Don’t worry about it." Evelyn said as she rather ungracefully swung her sore legs over the edge of the bed with a small groan. "I was only-" she was cut off by the elf collapsing on her hands and knees on the floor.

"I beg your forgiveness, my lady. I am but a humble servant!" the girl said hurriedly before Evelyn could even ask her if she was feeling well. "They say you saved us. The Breach has stopped growing, just like the mark on your hand. That’s all anyone has spoken about for the last three days." Evelyn glanced at the Mark.  _‘Well that’s far better than them saying I killed the Divine. Three days, though…’_  she thought as she averted her eyes to lay on the young elf again, still kneeling on the floor hanging her head.

"So, you’re saying… they’re happy with me?" Evelyn surprised herself by how incredulous she sounded.

"Th-that’s just what I’ve heard! I didn’t mean anything by it!" the elf said as she rose to her feet again, still shaking violently. "I-I’m sure Seeker Pentaghast would like to know you’re awake. At once, she said!" the elf had started to back away towards the door.

"Alright, where is she?" Evelyn asked before the elf could succeed in her not-so-subtle attempt at escape.

"In the Chantry. At once, she said!" the elf all but ran out of the room, leaving Evelyn sitting on the edge of the bed looking down at her feet. ‘Well.’ she thought as she stood up and ran a hand through her disheveled hair. ‘The sooner I get the Seeker off my back, the better.’

* * *

 Evelyn inhaled the fresh mountain air as deeply as she could. Haven had cleared out of almost all of the stress and anxiety that had filled it after the explosion at the conclave. The Breach was still in the sky but now it was stable, Cassandra had told Evelyn earlier that morning. Her memory had been a bit hazy and she was grateful that Cassandra filled her in on what had happened. It turned out her attempt at sealing the Breach hadn’t been as successful as everyone had hoped. All Evelyn had been able to do was close a rift, right below the actual Breach. Closing the rift hadn’t closed the Breach but it had stopped it from growing any larger. It was like a locked door, anyone with the right kind of key could easily open it, so it was still an obvious threat. Closing the rift had however drained Evelyn of the last bits and pieces of her energy and she had spent the following three days in bed. Cassandra had spoken about the warrior’s blackout very hastily and she had clearly kept it to herself how bad Evelyn’s situation had actually been.

A lot had happened the previous night, after Evelyn had finally woken up. She had barged in to the chantry, whilst Cassandra had been in a heated argument with Chancellor Roderick of whether Evelyn was innocent, or not. Cassandra had actually defended her with Leliana, essentially leaving her speechless out of pure surprise. Afterwards Cassandra had declared the Inquisition of Old reborn and Evelyn had just gone with it; she had still been far too exhausted from her attempt at closing the Breach to ask what the Inquisition of Old actually was. She had figured she could ask for details the following day.

Evelyn had gotten lost in her thoughts. Eyes closed and with a hint of a smile on her lips, she just stood at the top of a set of stairs leading down to the main gate of the town. She opened her eyes and turned around only when she heard someone approach her. The sun had barely gotten up and Evelyn had only seen the ambassador Lady Montilyet, and quartermaster Threnn up among a few Sisters of the Chantry. She had also had a short conversation with Leliana, after Cassandra had explained to her all that had happened. Evelyn was still wary around the townsfolk; you couldn’t just let your guard down when an entire town had accused you of mass murder. As soon as she recognized who was walking towards her, the smile on her face turned into a lopsided grin.

"Well, you certainly are up early." the stocky dwarven man said with amusement coloring his voice. "But, I figure sleeping three days straight does that to you."

"Good morning, Varric." Evelyn replied with a small laugh. Varric had been one of the very few people who had been nothing but kind to her after Cassandra’s interrogation. "I take it you’re well rested?"

"As well as you’d expect with a giant hole in the sky." he said carelessly while adjusting the sleeves of his shirt. Evelyn hummed her agreement and studied the dwarf. She hadn’t really had the opportunity to do so when she had met Varric. It had been right after she had closed a small rift, with the help of an elven apostate called Solas, on her and Cassandra’s way up to the Breach. Evelyn’s gaze lingered on his face for a moment. She had seen dwarves before, sure, but never as close as now. Varric wore his hair in a small ponytail and his facial features were really… typically dwarven. His jaw was strong and blocky, and it looked like he had broken his nose a few times; there was even a fresh scar as a proof of Evelyn’s assumption. The only difference to the other dwarven men she had seen was that he lacked the glorious beard most male dwarves had. Evelyn couldn’t really figure out how old, exactly, he was. She had always been really bad at guessing humans’ ages, let alone dwarves’.

Varric cleared his throat a bit which resulted in Evelyn to clear her mind and focus her gaze on his eyes again. “So, now that Cassandra’s out of earshot, are you holding up alright?” Varric looked, and sounded, genuinely worried when he asked that. “You go from being the most wanted criminal in Thedas to joining the armies of the faithful. Most people would have spread that out over more than one day.”

Evelyn wasn’t really expecting anyone to actually ask  _her_ how  _she_ felt. She just stared dumbfounded at the dwarf, making a really good impression of a fish with her gaping mouth, while she tried to think of an answer to give to him.

"I’m- I’m just glad I’m still standing after all that." she stated simply.

”I’m still not sure how you survived Cassandra! You’re lucky you were out cold for most of her frothing rage.” Varric laughed before his expression turned serious. He looked up at the Breach as he started talking again. ”For days now we’ve watched demons and Maker knows what fall out of the sky… Bad for morale would be an understatement. I still can’t believe anyone was in there and lived.” He finished turning his eyes on Evelyn’s.

”It’s pure luck that I survived.”

”Good luck, or bad? You might want to consider running at the first opportunity. I’ve written enough tragedies to recognize where this is going.” Varric took a step back. ”Heroes are everywhere, I’ve seen that. But the hole in the sky? That’s beyond heroes. We need a miracle.”

Evelyn made a small sound that showed she agreed with the dwarf before they fell into a slightly awkward silence, Varric looking up at the Breach and Evelyn at her feet.

Evelyn cleared her throat to get Varric’s attention again. “I need to go talk to the blacksmith about my gear. I believe his name was Harritt? You wouldn’t happen to know where I can find him?” Evelyn hadn’t had the energy to go and investigate the town on the previous day, she just knew where the Chantry and the town’s main gate were.

"Just go out the gate and turn left, you can’t really miss it."

Evelyn nodded, looking at the gate, before turning to look at Varric again. “Thank you, Varric. I…” She wanted the dwarf to know how much she had needed to hear that at least someone was genuinely interested in her well-being, instead of the possibility of losing the Mark. She huffed a small laugh. Words had never been her strong suite. “Thank you.”

Varric smiled at her in a way that convinced Evelyn that he knew she wasn’t thanking him just for providing the location of the blacksmith. “Don’t mention it. Now, go to the smithy and I’ll go see if Chuckles is awake.” the dwarf gave the human a nod and a smile before walking off.

Evelyn stared at Varric long enough to watch him disappear behind Haven’s tavern, before she turned around again and walked down the stairs and through the gate.

Evelyn stopped after just barely stepping outside the gate when she saw Cassandra training alone next to a small group of soldiers. She wasn’t wearing her full armor; hardly any of the inquisition’s soldiers wore their armor when they were in Haven. Seeing her without her armor would have certainly made the woman look less intimidating, if the scowl on her face had disappeared with it. Evelyn didn’t see the Seeker’s shield anywhere; Cassandra only had her sword with her, which was a good indicator that she was just blowing off steam and not training for an actual combat situation.

Evelyn went through a small fight with herself. She didn’t necessarily  _want_  to go and talk to the Seeker. Cassandra hadn’t been hostile towards Evelyn in the same way she had been before Evelyn had woken up in Haven, but she still felt like she should make sure she could trust Cassandra to watch her back if need be. Having to fight with the Seeker by her side was a very possible reality, since earlier that morning they had planned on traveling to the Hinterlands. Leliana, being the Inquisition’s spymaster, had told Evelyn she had gotten word from her agents that a Revered Mother by the name of Giselle would be willing to lend her aid to the Inquisitions cause. All they knew was that Mother Giselle was taking care of the victims of the Mage – Templar war. Inquisition’s scouts would provide them with more information when they got to the meeting point.

Evelyn glanced to her left and saw a small building along the wall of Haven and a man with a mustache, whom she assumed to be Harritt, looking like he was in a deep conversation with one of the people working with him. Evelyn looked at Cassandra once more before she told herself she wouldn’t want to disturb the blacksmith and his colleague, in case their conversation was important. Instead she slowly walked towards the Seeker.

The closer Evelyn got to Cassandra the more she could appreciate the Seeker’s appearance in the early sunrise. The way her muscles tensed under her clothes when she lunged forward, the way her short and dark hair stuck to her sweaty forehead, the small huff she made every time she swung her sword… ‘ _She must have been out here all morning…_ ’ Evelyn was pulled out of her own thoughts when Cassandra stepped back and let out a disgusted noise before turning her eyes to the younger warrior.

"You’re kind of a force of nature, aren’t you?" Evelyn blurted out in her small fit of panic over not actually knowing how to start the conversation.

Cassandra’s scowl deepened slightly and she turned to look at one of the training dummies. “When I need to be.”

Evelyn watched as the Seeker buried her sword in one of the training dummies’ stomach and decided to take a small risk with her answer. “It’s impressive.”

Cassandra stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned her head towards Evelyn. She studied the warrior’s face before her scowl disappeared almost completely. “You flatter me.”

This conversation had started far better than Evelyn could have hoped for, and she was having a hard time keeping the smile off her voice. “I’m trying.”

Cassandra turned to look at the dummy again. “Did I do the right thing?”

Evelyn was about to ask her what she meant, but the Seeker was swinging her sword again. This time not going for lethal blows on the dummy. “What I have set in motion here could destroy everything I have revered all my life. One day they might write about me as a traitor, a mad woman. And they may be right.” The Chantry had denounced the Inquisition and all its followers as heretics after word had spread of the Inquisition, and Evelyn possibly being the Herald of Andraste as an explanation of her surviving the explosion. Since the Seeker Order walked hand in hand with the Chantry, it must have bothered Cassandra more than she let Evelyn see.

"You didn’t have a choice." was all Evelyn could say. She had no idea if she even could have said anything that would have helped Cassandra to set her mind at ease.

"Didn’t I?" Cassandra straightened her body and threw her sword on the ground. "My trainers always said: "Cassandra, you are too brash. You must think before you act." She shook her head slightly. "I see what must be done, and I do it. I see no point in running around in circles like a dog chasing its tail."

Evelyn just stood there in front of the Seeker not knowing how to respond so she just studied her face instead. It looked as if Cassandra wanted to say more but wasn’t sure if she should. Evelyn thought staying silent while letting her determine the pace of the conversation would be the best option.

"But I misjudged you in the beginning, did I not? I thought the answer was before me, clear as day. I can’t afford to be so careless again." it took Evelyn a moment until she realized that Cassandra was referring to her hostile outbursts back when they had gone to seal the Breach. Evelyn hardly blamed her. The Divine had died, hundreds of people had died, demons were pouring out of the sky…

Evelyn’s lop-sided grin came back on her face. That was as close to an apology as the Seeker could get, at the moment. “Yeah. I can’t say I’m not grateful to hear that.”

"I can be harsh, I know." Cassandra said, now far more relaxed than a minute ago. Seeing her visibly relax made Evelyn feel surprisingly happy and almost… giddy? Evelyn cleared her throat for the second time today, this time mostly to prevent her from diving deeper into her own thoughts.

"I should go, and talk with the blacksmith. After I get my new gear I believe we’re ready for travel?" Evelyn asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course. I’ll go make sure Varric and Solas will be ready as well." Cassandra gave her a nod and walked briskly towards the gate, giving Evelyn a good view of her slightly swaying hips. Evelyn quickly averted her eyes after catching herself staring and stomped towards the blacksmith. She hoped she could get her thoughts straight on the road at least.


	3. Redcliffe

”Would this be a good place to set up camp?” Evelyn was jerked awake from her napping when she heard Solas raise his voice to get her attention. She stopped her horse and tilted her head so she could tell the others that they should follow Solas’ idea. Evelyn had been traveling slightly ahead of the others, since she had become the unofficial leader of the Inquisition with the help of Cassandra. She was glad that Cassandra had taken the job of helping her, because in the end she had no idea what she was doing exactly.

The group was a day’s journey away from Val Royeaux. Mother Giselle had offered her support to the Inquisition’s cause, and had also told Evelyn that if she just talked to the grand Clerics she may change their view on the Inquisition.

Evelyn let out an exhausted sigh as she got off her horse and gestured for Solas to take care of him. “Cassandra and I will make sure this place is as safe as it seems.” She said to the elven apostate before she turned to face Cassandra. “Shall we?”

* * *

 The two warriors had walked in silence for what seemed like forever, when in reality it must have been only ten minutes. Cassandra glanced at Evelyn, and noted how exhausted she looked. There were dark circles around those eyes, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration to keep herself awake… Her usual confident stride had been replaced by what the Seeker could only describe as stumbling.

Cassandra cleared her throat. “It occurred to me that I don’t know much about you.” Evelyn looked a bit startled by the sudden statement.

She stopped her stumbling and turned to face Cassandra with a small sigh. “What do you wish to know?”

Cassandra furrowed her brows and looked down at her feet. She hadn’t actually thought of how she would continue the conversation. “I… I’m not certain.” She admitted as she returned her gaze on the younger warrior. “Where are you from?”

Evelyn narrowed her eyes. “I figured you would have gone through your own prisoner’s background.”

Cassandra frowned. “I could ask Leliana, she has gathered a frightening amount of information about you.” She softened her tone before continuing. “But I don’t want to ask her. I want to hear it from you.”

Evelyn studied the Seeker’s face for a while before looking away and continuing her stumbling. “Fair enough. I’m from the Free Marches. Ostwick, to be specific. I’m the youngest of house Trevelyan.” There was a small break while Evelyn gathered her thoughts. “Many Trevelyans are devoted Andrastians. There’s a high chance you’ll run into a Chantry cleric or a Templar by that name.”

"Ah, so that must be why the name sounded so familiar."

"What about you?"

Cassandra turned to look at Evelyn with narrowed eyes. “…What?”

"I meant… uhh… I’d like to know more about you?" Evelyn asked with confusion written all over her face.

"… Why?"

"What do you mean ‘Why’?"

"I’m just curious as to your motivation."

"Oh! Oh, no motivation. I’d just like to make things between us less…" Evelyn was clearly trying to find a proper word for what she wanted to say, but ended up just opening and closing her mouth for few short moments. Cassandra found it kind of endearing, in its own way.

"Antagonistic?" Cassandra offered, hardly able to hide her amusement. Evelyn’s face brightened and she pointed at her to tell that she had found the word she was looking for. With a small sigh the Seeker continued: "Very well. I am Cassandra Pentaghast, Seeker of the Chantry and 78th in line for the Nevarran throne."

Evelyn’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, you’re Nevarran royalty?” Cassandra was taken aback by the sudden exclamation. She had grown used to most Free Marchers and Orlesians knowing of the Pentaghast family. It was refreshing talking to someone as oblivious as this particular Trevelyan.

"Yes, I am. The Pentaghast family is the largest of Nevarra." with a scoff she continued: "Half of Cumberland could say they’re related to King Markus."

"Wait… Really?"

"No, but it feels like it. I have relatives so distant they need papers to prove we’re related at all. And they have them, oh yes. The Pentaghasts value their heritage like gold." Evelyn made a sound of agreement and was about to ask Cassandra more about her background, when she realized they had wandered back to camp.

Cassandra stopped Evelyn before they got close enough for Solas and Varric to hear them. “I must ask you something. Back in Haven you said you find getting called Andraste’s Herald a bit… Unnerving. Does that mean… You don’t believe in the Maker?” Even though most Trevelyans were Andrastians and served the Chantry, Cassandra knew from personal experience, that one’s family relations did not determine a single individual’s own opinions.

Evelyn took a deep breath. “I do, I just… Don’t know if I was sent back by Andraste herself. How could I be worthy enough of such fate?”

Cassandra straightened her back. ”We have hardly any say in our own fates, I’ve heard.” They stood outside camp in silence for few moments, before Cassandra cleared her throat and with a small nod of her head she started walking toward the camp again.

* * *

 Evelyn got off her horse and stretched after giving the reins to one of the Inquisition scouts stationed outside of Redcliffe. The group’s trip to Val Royeaux had been anything but fruitful. The only positive thing about it had been that they had recruited a Fereldan elf and the former Grand Enchanter of the Circle of Montsimmard. The clerics hadn’t been helpful in the least and Evelyn had quickly stopped trying to reason with them.

They had run into Lord Seeker Lucius and the rest of the Templar Order. The Lord Seeker had made a show of telling them how much he detested the Inquisition. So in Evelyn’s books, the Templar support for closing the Breach was out of the question.

Before they had left Val Royeaux, the former Grand Enchanter Fiona had stopped them and offered the mages’ support. She had asked them to meet her in Redcliffe back in the Hinterlands, so they could negotiate the deal further.

Evelyn was about to tell the group to follow her when she saw another one of the Inquisition’s scouts running towards her.

”Is everything alright?” She asked the scout when he stopped in front of her with a worried expression on his face.

”My Lady, I came to inform you that we’ve spread word that the Inquisition was coming, but you should know that no one here was expecting us.”

Evelyn stared at the panting scout for a while trying to understand what he meant by that. ”… What? No one? Not even the Grand Enchanter?”

The scout shrugged. ”If she has, she hasn’t told anyone. We’ve arranged use of the tavern for the negotiations.”

Just as Evelyn was going to thank the scout, a young elven man came running toward the group.

”Agents of the Inquisition, my apologies!” he said. He was no doubt a mage; the robes he wore only a mage would wear. ”Magister Alexius is in charge now, but hasn’t yet arrived. He’s expected shortly. You can speak with the former Grand Enchanter in the meantime.”

”Yes… Thank you” Evelyn told the elf and dismissed the Inquisition scout with a nod of her head. She folded her arms and frowned. The whole situation felt… strange. The Trevelyan had no idea why a Tevinter Magister would suddenly be in charge of the free mages residing in Redcliffe. And no-one was expecting the Inquisition. Evelyn grumbled loudly before she turned to address her group. ”Something’s not right here. Keep your guard up.” She told them before she started walking towards Redcliffe’s gate.

”Yes, the Veil is weaker here than in Haven… And not merely weak, but altered in a way I have not seen.” Solas said half to himself and the only answer he got was Sera’s eye roll and an obnoxiously loud scoff.

Cassandra sped up so she could walk beside Evelyn. ”We should go speak with the Grand Enchanter.” She said when the younger warrior glanced at her.

”Yes, that’s what I’m planning on doing…”

* * *

 ”Agents of the Inquisition, allow me to introduce Magister Gereon Alexius.” Grand Enchanter Fiona said without showing any emotion in her speech. The group had gone straight to the tavern to speak with Fiona, but she was just as confused as they were after Evelyn had explained the situation. Fiona had claimed to not have been in Val Royeaux since before the Conclave. The Grand Enchanter had told the group that she had no right to negotiate with the Inquisition, now that Alexius was in charge.

”Welcome, my friends! I apologize it took me so long.” Alexius smiled wide. Evelyn looked at the Magister and could not help but to think that something was off about him. He was too friendly, first of all. Evelyn had never actually met anyone from Tevinter though, and people in the Free Marches weren’t… exactly the friendliest sort.The closest she had ever been to a ”Vint” had been back in Ostwick, when her mother had mentioned to her the Trevelyans had distant relatives in Tevinter. Evelyn narrowed her eyes slightly at Alexius and did not answer him. She knew she was being rude, and could hear her aunt chastising her in her mind, but she wanted answers.

Alexius cleared his throat and his voice took a serious note when he continued. ”The Southern mages are under my command. And you are the Survivor, yes? The one from the Fade? Interesting.”

”We need the mages to help with sealing the Breach.” Evelyn said with a frown. Alexius rumbled a laugh. “Straight to business, I see. As it should be.” He sat at one of the tables and motioned for Evelyn to sit opposite of him. ”Felix, would you send for a scribe, please? Oh, pardon my manners. My son Felix, friends.” The Magister said to Evelyn. Felix did a small bow and quickly walked to the other side of the tavern.

Alexius cleared his throat. ”I am not surprised you’re here. Containing the Breach is not a feat that many could even attempt. There is no telling how many mages would be needed for such an endeavor. Ambitious, indeed.”

”Does that mean you’ll lend _your_ magesto our cause?”

”There will have to be – ” Alexius’ sentence trailed off and his gaze fixed on something past Evelyn’s left shoulder. She followed the magister’s eyes and noticed his son walking towards them. He looked like he was two steps away from fainting. The Trevelyan stood up from her chair and was about to clasp his shoulder and ask if he was feeling alright, when suddenly the young man collapsed into her arms.

"Felix!" Alexius shrieked behind Evelyn and rose to his feet, rushing towards his son. Felix was starting to stand on his own again, still holding Evelyn’s hands to keep his balance.

"My lady, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me." Felix’s gaze held Evelyn’s for a small moment before his father placed his hand on his son’s back.

”Are you alright?” he asked him.

”I’m fine, father – ”

Alexius grabbed Felix’s arm. ”Come, I’ll get your powders. Please excuse me, friends. We will have to continue this another time.” The Magister didn’t even wait for their answers and was already halfway through the tavern when Evelyn registered what had just happened. The Trevelyan watched as Alexius ushered Felix away, up the stairs to the tavern’s second floor, with his son trying to tell him he felt just fine. Evelyn made sure she didn’t hear their voices until she opened one of her fisted hands to reveal a small and crumbled note Felix had given her.

"Come to the Chantry. You are in danger." Evelyn read aloud and looked at Cassandra who had appeared next to her.

The Seeker took the note after glancing at the other warrior’s face. “Did the magister’s son give you that? Why would he help you?”

“I don’t know…” Evelyn looked at the note in Cassandra’s gloved hand while she thought about it. “It could be a trap.”

"Oh, come on,  _Lady Herald!_ Let’s do  _something!_ ” Sera hopped down from one of the bar stools and started walking towards the tavern’s door. Evelyn looked at Cassandra and shrugged, walking towards the elven woman whose face brightened when she saw the Trevelyan had indeed decided to do  _something_.

Redcliffe’s chantry was only a few minute walk away from the tavern. Evelyn had noted that there had been few Chantry Sisters outside helping the refugees camping at Redcliffe, so chances were there wouldn’t actually be anyone inside.

The Trevelyan stopped abruptly with her hand stretched halfway to open the Chantry’s door. The Mark on her hand hurt almost constantly, but the pain was so dulled she had grown used to it. Now, though, the pain on her hand was very prominent, and when she turned around to look at her group she noticed that Solas looked unusually worried. Solas had the most experience with the Fade than anyone the Trevelyan had ever met, so she trusted his judgment more than her own “my hand hurts, there are demons about.” thoughts.

"I don’t feel good about this…" Evelyn muttered as she opened the Chantry’s door. The group stepped cautiously inside and almost as soon as they closed the door they noticed a few Shade demons surrounding a man with dark hair and a mustache that curled upwards at the tips. Evelyn wasn’t a mage but she recognized a staff when she saw one; she also knew that the way the man was using it was not how staves were supposed to be used. He just… smacked the demons with it.

His face brightened when he saw the group. “Ah, good! You’re finally here! Now, help me close this, would you?”


End file.
